by Stephen Dafoe
The Morinville Jet took back-to-back losses over the weekend. A single goal lost both games, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, as the saying goes.
The weekend’s losses bring the Jets to a 1-7-0 record eight games into the season, two points above the West Division’s bottom-dwelling Spruce Grove Regals and Edmonton Royals.
Friday night’s road game to Fort Saskatchewan resulted in the Jets’ first loss of the weekend. Trailing 1-0 after one, the Jets tied the game with eight-minutes and change left in the middle frame.
But a powerplay goal gave the Fort a 2-1 lead heading into the final period.
The score remained the same for the final 20 minutes with the Jets taking five chances to the Hawks 16.
Jets’ backstop Luke Hall was the hero of the day for the Jets, stopping 41 of the 43 shots hurled his way. It was an effort repeated Sunday night when he once again stopped 39 of 42 shots sent to his net.
Sunday night’s home game against the Sherwood Park Knights also resulted in a one-goal loss.
Although Ryan Denton, assisted by Josh Mcrea and Regan Regimbald, gave the Jets the first goal of the game in the closing 1:12 of the first period, the Knights pounded back with three goals in the second to tip the scale to 3-1 in their favour. The final frame gave the Jets their second from Zach Mcrae, Josh Mcrae, and Regan Regimbald at the mid-point of the frame, but the Jets could not get a third goal to push it to overtime and at least one point for their weekend’s work.
Over the weekend’s two games, the Jets were 0-7 in powerplay opportunities across two games.
The Jets have one game this week – a Sunday night home game against the visiting 4-4-0 Leduc Riggers at 7:30 p.m.
